Belly Jelly The Universal Language cassette
On the crowded dance floor of fringe synth-driven punk, it takes a special toolbox to stand out. Luckily, Indiana’s Sean Albert (SKULL CULT) has one with several deep compartments. A solo endeavor, BELLY JELLY is surprisingly broad in scope. This tape is an ambitious and deliciously weirdo odyssey, much like digging through a bag of jelly beans in every flavor (gosh, did I just stumble onto the point?). Each track brings a new shade of sharp, bouncy punk that can grate and inspire gyrations all at once. Far from cutesier iterations of this type of sound, Albert is keen on hitting you hard with syrupy hooks—like a rock covered in jam thrown through a window. A track like “Phobic Neurosis” exemplifies what this project does best, a bouncy nightmare of sharp riffs and effects-perverted vocals all set to a mechanically-precise rhythm section. Top marks all around!